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Project Overview and Role:

The Feed the Future Ghana Mobilizing Finance in Agriculture (MFA) Activity is a $19 million, USAID-supported project that aims to improve access to finance for agribusinesses in Ghana. To accomplish this, MFA will engage business advisory service providers to improve their capacity to support agribusinesses, as well as deploy incentives to financial institutions that expand their lending to agriculture. The finance facilitated will enable  farmers to purchase agricultural inputs, boost production, invest in processing, or undertake other activities to expand their businesses. From 2020 to 2024, MFA will unlock $261 million in finance, driving sustainable agricultural lending and promoting inclusive growth.

COVID-19 has brought significant hardship to agricultural stakeholders and those in Ghana’s export industries of apparel, cacao, cashew, mango, and shea including, but not limited to, purchase contracts being canceled overnight; closure of processing facilities, lack of cash to pay for new costs of safety equipment, challenges accessing working capital or training, and volatile commodity prices and limited supply of commodities to process. The MFA activity aims to mitigate COVID-19 impacts by providing financial institutions with grants to support their ability to assist SMEs and other firms. The COVID-19 relief grants will strive to save jobs, and keep SMEs, processors aggregators in business to maintain the supply change for farmers.

The COVID-19 Relief Manager position will provide leadership, technical, and management of all COVID-19 relief Grants Under Contract (GUCs), compliance and reporting activities. The Manager will develop the COVID-19 Relief Grants Manual, modeled on the grants identification and rapid approval process used by the Office for Transition Initiatives (OTI) SWIFT mechanism. Furthermore, the Manager will conduct due diligence and spot-checks sub-awards and final beneficiary firms. This position will report to the Director of Finance and Administration and liaise closely with Technical Procurement and Grants and Better Lending Conditions team members to ensure consistency in grants management.

 Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

The COVID-19 Relief Manager primary tasks include the following:  

• Spearhead the process of identifying investment opportunities and creating the pipeline of COVID-19 grant opportunities
• Provide monthly project budget/projections ensuring the accurate communication of financial projections to the home office
• Design financial institution strategies, select FIs to co-create COVID relief grants, and develop grants packages for rapid USAID approval
• Work directly with grantees and potential grantees to craft detailed budgets and finalize cost analyses with all associated documentation.
• Lead and conduct required assessments of the financial sector
• Administer technical assistance for financial institutions; and support the design and implementation of financial sector incentives
• Develop the COVID-19 relief grants manual and the COVID-19 relief grants section of the MFA annual work plan
• Oversee financial management of the COVID-19 GUCs
• Serve as the primary point of contact with financial institutions in Ghana for COVID-19 GUCs
• Monitor the impact of COVID-19 relief grants in conjunction with the M&E Lead
• Manage the evaluation of grant proposals as required
• Supervise the COVID-19 relief staff members
• Other project-related tasks as required 

Required Qualifications:

• Proven experience working in the finance sector in Ghana, for example in a bank or investment firm; previous experience in agricultural lending preferred 
• Demonstrated contracting and procurement experience especially with USAID-funded projects, preferably with OTI/SWIFT co-design processes
• Experience supporting Grant Under Contract (GUC) awards under USAID policies.
• Strong knowledge of USAID policies and procedures, specifically in grants, procurement, accounting, and financial compliance
• Microsoft office suite proficiency and the ability to operate spreadsheet and word-processing programs at a highly proficient level
• Proactive problem-solving, decision-making, and good judgment skills
• Demonstrated ability and commitment to manage confidential information
• Attention to detail and ability to perform multiple tasks and balance competing priorities effectively and efficiently
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English
• Ability to communicate effectively with managers, colleagues, service providers and clients
• Ghanaian nationals preferred.

Experience/Education

• Master’s degree in business administration, international finance, international development, agricultural economics, or related field of study 
• Eight years or more of progressively responsible work experience in finance and/or grants, preferably within the agriculture sector (or a bachelor’s degree and twelve years of similar experience)